Sunday, April 27, 2008

4/21 - 4/27

A great week of running starting the week off with Boston. I ran quite a few unplanned miles this week after Boston. The high mileage week should prepare me for the Berryman. I hope to get some decent miles on the trail this week and then taper for 2 weeks.

This coming week will likely be a taper though since I'm not likely going to increase mileage at this point. I'll resume weight lifting and maybe even get on the bike. I'm considering joining Macher's Swim Club from June - Mid-Sept. They have swimming from 5:30 am - 6:45 with coaching. I'd like to do more cross-training.

Date: 4/21/2008 10:02 AM
Type: Race
Course: Boston Marathon
Distance: 26.2 miles
Duration: 2:57:47
Pace: 6:48 / mile
Shoe: Mizuno Wave Alchemy 7 (White/Orange #2)
Weight: 154 lb
Misc: Quality: 9/10, Effort: 9/10
Field Placement: 961 / 21963 (4.4%)
Age group: 18 – 39
Group Placement: 690 / 4684 (14.7%)
Gender Placement: 927 / 13028 (7.1%)
Weather: 51° F, Sunny
Notes:
Race Report

Date: 4/21/2008 6:15 PM
Type: Easy
Course: Boston
Distance: 1.7 miles
Duration: 17:00
Pace: 10:00 / mile
Shoe: Mizuno Wave Alchemy 7 (White/Orange #2)
Weight: 154 lb
Misc: Quality: 9/10, Effort: 2/10
Weather: Sunny

Date: 4/22/2008 7:10 AM
Type: Easy
Course: Boston
Distance: 4 miles
Duration: 36:43
Pace: 9:11 / mile
Shoe: Mizuno Wave Alchemy 7 (White/Orange #2)
Weight: 154 lb
Misc: Quality: 9/10, Effort: 3/10
Weather: 45° F, Sunny
Notes: Run with Hugh, Brett, Tom, Phil, Robin, and Cathy. Quads are sore, but I'm running fine.

m1 - 9:42
m2 - 9:02
m3 - 8:59
m4 - 8:59

Date: 4/24/2008 5:30 AM
Type: Easy
Course: Tripp 10K - A Route
Distance: 6.1 miles
Duration: 48:41
Pace: 7:59 / mile
Shoe: Mizuno Wave Alchemy 7 (White/Orange)
Weight: 154 lb
Misc: Quality: 9/10, Effort: 3/10
Weather: 62° F, Rain, Humid
Notes: Started out running with Dan but his dogs decided they wanted to run fast so he ran ahead. I caught up to Lisa and ran with her. The run felt really good. Quads are just a little sore but not too bad.

m1 - 8:28
m2 - 7:58
m3 - 8:16
m4 - 7:54
m5 - 8:09
m6 - 7:23
m6.1 - 0:32

Date: 4/26/2008 5:35 AM
Type: Easy
Course: Country Dozen
Distance: 12 miles
Duration: 1:39:11
Pace: 8:16 / mile
Shoe: Mizuno Wave Alchemy 7 (White/Orange #2)
Weight: 157 lb
Misc: Quality: 10/10, Effort: 4/10
Weather: 41° F, Sunny
Notes: I ran with the Long Run Lunatics with Hugh and Destiny. GPS worked but the first mile it was showing a 15 min pace and we were running faster so I'm not recording the splits. This was a relaxed easy run for me and felt really good. Since yesterday my quads felt normal again after being sore for 3 days.

Date: 4/26/2008 9:15 AM
Type: Race
Course: Laughing Out Loud Marathon
Distance: 26.2 miles
Duration: 4:19:19
Pace: 9:54 / mile
Shoe: Mizuno Wave Alchemy 7 (White/Orange #2)
Weight: 157 lb
Misc: Quality: 10/10, Effort: 4/10
Weather: 46° F, Sunny
Notes:
Race Report

Date: 4/27/2008 8:00 AM
Type: Trail
Course: Rock Bridge Miscellaneous
Distance: 11 miles
Duration: 1:54:59
Pace: 10:28 / mile
Shoe: Mizuno Wave Ascend 2 (Yellow)
Weight: 157 lb
Misc: Quality: 8/10, Effort: 4/10
Weather: 48° F, Overcast, Humid
Notes: Ran 8.3 on Gans Creek side with Jeff, Joe, and Brad. First couple miles didn't feel great, but the rest felt good. We ran an easy pace today. Jeff asked if I wanted to run more. He only wanted to run 20 - 30 min more so I figured why not. We ran about 3 more miles on Devil's Ice Box side partly on a new trail that just opened up. We slowed the pace down just a little. He wanted to put in 2 hours today so we were close.

m1 - 10:11
m2 - 8:41
m3 - 8:48
m4 - 9:06
m5 - 10:10
m6 - 10:53
m7 - 12:01
m8 - 11:39
m9 - 11:06
m10 - 11 - 23:20

Running: 87.2 mi - 12:33:40

Weights: 0 min (0 workout)

MTD Running: 217.1 mi

YTD Running: 1008.8 mi

May 17-Berryman 50 Mile Trail Ultramarathon
September 1-Heart of America Marathon
October 5-Twin Cities Marathon

Saturday, April 26, 2008

Laughing Out Loud Marathon

LOL Marathon Pictures

Originally when I signed up for this LOL Marathon I had planned to possible run, bike, and blade. I was so busy last week I never had time to figure out the logistics of doing that. Last night I wasn't sure what I was going to do. I decided to go run 12 miles with the Lunatics and see how I felt. The options for the run were 5K, 10K, half marathon, and marathon. You could use any kind of human powered transportation to finish.

Hugh volunteered and we arrived about 8 am. We sat in the car and were able to get a wireless signal to check on the 2 Dans running the half and full in Nashville. They were at the 6 miles and had both picked up the pace from their first 3 miles. Felt good to know their race was off too a great start.

I picked up my packet and about 8:40 went to the car to get my bottles ready. The plan was to run and see how far I could get. I figured this would be good training for the Berryman 50 mile since I was planning on taking this much slower than Boston. If I felt fine, I would go all the way. I wore my fuel belt with G2 and carried a my Nathan bottle with water. I took a variety of gels (2 Accels, 2 Hammers, and 1 Power Shot Blocks) so I could use up some that I no longer use.

Lisa and Jeff wells were planning to take turns biking and running the course as a team. There were about 50 participants with many in costume. Jeff ran first and I stayed with him and Lisa rode along with us. The run started in Flat Branch Park and we followed the MKT to Twin Lakes. We made a pit stop. So far the course was flat and then we had to run up the monster hill on Chapel Hill towards Fairview. We ran through Fairview Park on a trail and then on the grass around the soccer fields. There was a bonus loop you could take off the soccer fields but we opted not to add any extra miles.

Next the course moved back onto the roads. Lisa ran with me starting at Rollins and Stadium. A lot of the course went on Rollins road which has some nice hills. Off College park there was a shortcut that was available, but we proceeded on course through some other streets and then back to Rollins Road where we connected again with the MKT trail. We took the MU Rec Trail and then the trail to the park off Old 63 where we took another pit stop and Jeff resumed running.

I didn't realize we were going to be running up the hill on Old 63 towards Bearfield that we normally run down. Throughout the run we ended up walking and stopping very little. My GPS battery died right after the start, but seemed like we were keeping a comfortable 10 min pace which felt just right to me.

We continued generally to the west and at the food sure smelled good when we were across the road from Arris Pizza. I took gels every so often, but wasn't sticking to a regular schedule. There were a few water stops, plus Mike Denehy would find people on the course and bring water and gels. Also, I felt like the course was well-marked. Mike and Jim Linville spent the night from 9 pm - 4 am marking the course. I guess they didn't sleep.

The next part of the course headed north on Forum. I had called both Dan's earlier to hear about their race but they weren't with their phones. On Forum Dan S called to tell me about their races. With the traffic it was a little difficult to hear at first, but eventually I could hear. Dan S. had a big PR and qualified for Boston at 3:09:30 and Dan H. ran his half in 1:42:31. They both exceeded their goals dealing with the less than ideal weather conditions.

At Katy Place apartments we went down the treacherous hill that connects to the MKT. We got back on the MU rec trail and then headed towards the tunnel on Stadium, down Maryland and to the finish. I was still feeling good at the end and I think we ran a really consistent pace. It was nice having Jeff and Lisa to run with and this was a fun marathon and long run.

The only other person to run the entire marathon was Steve Kullman. We waited about an hour for him to finish and then went off to Roly Poly for some Roly Burgers.

Considering I ran 38 miles today, I'm feeling pretty good and now you all know that I'm certifiably nuts!

Wednesday, April 23, 2008

2008 Boston Marathon

Update 4/25/08: Pictures have been posted:

Andy's Pictures

Hugh's Pictures

Other Pictures


Update 4/24/08: I've identified the guy in the red shirt that helped me pick up the pace in the last 4 miles. His name is Evan Kimber from Signal Hill California. Even though I crossed the finish ahead of him, he actually beat me by 12 seconds. He's a fast ultra runner too, placing 2nd in the Avalon 50 miler in January at 7hr 23 min. Evan, thanks again for the motivation and great finish.

We flew into Providence airport and after a long commute arrived at our hotel on Wed. night about 6 pm. We had not eaten a meal since 9:30 am and went out to a buffet for dinner. After a good night’s sleep without cats and dogs, we went for a run on Thursday morning and then to Boston Common. We ate lunch at a Subway in the theatre district and noticed Emerson College so found the bookstore and purchased Emerson (our last name) shirts.

Friday morning we ran again, went to the expo at Hynes Convention Center, picked up our packets, and wandered around for several hours enjoying all the free samples. Hugh purchased an SPI (small personal items) belt and headband and I bought a Nathan water bottle. We went to the food court in the mall for lunch and then back to the expo for more samples and shopping. I purchased an official Boston logo sleeveless running shirt. We also had the gait analysis done at the Mizuno booth. They assessed that I was wearing the proper Mizuno shoes, the Alchemy and could also wear the Inspires. We got our pace bands from Nike which you can insert into a really comfortable bracelet. This was a little different than the even effort slower start pace band I printed earlier. I ended up writing each mile from the earlier one on the back since it was easier to see and I wanted to stay with this pace plan. After leaving the expo, we walked around and ate dinner a few blocks down the street at Uno’s Pizzeria and the made our way back to our hotel.

A few in our Columbia group had arrived late Friday night and Sat. morning we had a text message from Darrin and Melanie wondering about how to get around when I woke up. I decided that I wasn’t going to run on Sat. since some in our group wanted to run on Sunday. I felt like I really needed a day off with all the walking we had been doing. We called Darrin and Melanie and then escorted them to the expo and then went on a long walking tour heading towards the North End. We headed back and went to the Bill Rodgers Running Store while we were shopping in the Quincy Market. Then we went back to the hotel and everyone met for dinner at Not Your Average Joes. I had the salmon, grilled asparagus and salmon. The food and service were excellent.

Sunday morning several in our group met to run 3 miles before heading over to watch the Women’s Olympic Trials. After the trials, Hugh and I went back to the expo to look at a few things and it was extremely busy compared to Friday. We ran into a few more Columbia people (Brett, Elly, and Phil) that had arrived later Sat. night. I purchased a red and black Adidas Boston Marathon wind jacket like Munashe had already purchased the day before since I preferred it over the official blue and black jackets. Hugh had his gait analyzed at the Saucony booth which is brand he normally wears. They determined he was in the right shoe and also could wear a new one they have. I also decided to get a SPI belt since Hugh had already used and liked his belt. The pouch in this belt expands to a larger size and will hold a quite a few items. You can also attach a race number to the belt. We then went back to the food court for lunch. After lunch, Hugh purchased a couple gels with caffeine he felt he would need later in the marathon and a pair of running shorts. We exited the expo fairly quickly since it was difficult to walk around with the large crowds. It was definitely a good thing we went on Friday when it was easy to look at everything and not solid mass of people.

We went back to our room and I took a short nap since I was feeling tired. Hugh wanted to go to the pasta dinner which is included in the registration fee and I felt up to it after the nap. The dinner was excellent and included lasagna, penne pasta, pasta salad, lettuce salad, drink, and then on our way out we got to fill up a bag full with goodies for dessert.

Went to bed around 9:30 pm and planned to get up at 5:30 am. We both slept really well and I felt rested when I got up. Hugh, Maria, me, and other couple from Canada shared a taxi ride to Boston Common to ride the bus. We boarded our bus fairly quickly at about 6:55 am, but it was a long ride. When we arrived at about 9 am we dropped our bags off onto the drop bag busses and then walked to Main Street to where Tom’s friends live a couple blocks from the start and waited until closer to the start time to go to the corrals. They had a nice spread of food and drink and bathrooms with no waiting. Those of us in the first wave left to walk over to our corrals at about 9:30. On the way I spotted John Kerry just a few feet away. I waited with Matt Dreier in our corral. Darrin was somewhere in our corral but up closer to the front so we didn’t see him.

As we were waiting, the sun came out and it started to feel warmer. I took off my Jingle Bell Run shirt and deposited in one of the bags off to the side of the corral. After the National Anthem, it wasn’t long before our corral started to move. I had a signal on my GPS standing in the corral and then it went out a few minutes before the start. I decided that I could pace without it and wasn’t going to worry about it. I felt very relaxed and just wasn’t going to worry about anything at this point. We ran over the starting mat at about 2 minutes. My pace band was for 2:58:30 so I figured if I met this goal, I wouldn’t see the clock under 3 hrs. I hoped my chip time would be anything under 3 hours and was giving myself and 90 second cushion.

Matt started a little faster than me but I could see him in my sights for a few miles. It was amazing to see the sea of runners ahead from the first 2 corrals. It was pretty crowded too. At this point I really had no idea of my pace but figured I was going faster than I realized. After the first mile I see Darrin and we pass back and forth for about the first 3 miles after water stations since I was slowing down a little more. My first mile ended up being slower than planned at 7:15 probably due to the crowd of runners. I had planned to run it at 7:01. I made up the pace on the next mile.

The sun stayed out and it felt pretty warm. I stayed over to the right side in the shade wherever I could. I tried to run each mile using my pace band and was pretty close without using my GPS which was not getting a signal. I’m hoping Hugh got a signal since I knew he was counting on it for his pace. I keep clicking off the miles which seem to be going by quickly. The crowds were loud and encouraging along the course and water was easy to get to. I heard at a water station yell they have plenty of water unlike Chicago.

I see Tom May at mile 4. He had started in corral 2, but had some injuries and missed a few weeks of training. He seemed to be doing very well though and having a good time. The space in the road opened up more as we went on. I started talking to a guy that said it seemed like everyone had started out really fast this year. He said he was targeting a 2:55. I ran with him for about a mile to slow myself down and then decided to pull ahead since I was still feeling really good.

I wore my Long Run Lunatics shirt which Melanie had specially made for the group. It had Long Run Lunatics, Columbia, MO on the front and Boston 08 on the back. I had a lot of people yelling Long Run Lunatics or Lunatic at me along the course.

At mile 11, I see Mike Tripp over at the water station but couldn’t get over close enough to say anything. I looked back several times but didn’t see him again. I hoped he was okay since he had started in the corral ahead of me. About mile 16, I saw Matt Dreier from behind and he isn’t moving very fast so I ask if he is okay since obviously he isn’t. He says he having a really bad cramp. About a couple miles later I pass a guy that looks like Munashe. I turn around and it is him. He is looking good and I said hi. I found out later he had slowed due to his shin splints which had been trying to recover from recently. He had also started in the corral ahead of me. He was in some really intense pain after the marathon and had to go to the medical tent. I feel like I am passing a lot of people which is feeling good. It just didn’t feel good to pass the people I knew should be ahead of me from Columbia.

During mile 21, I am expecting Heart Break Hill which I really wasn’t very worried about. After we passed it I wasn’t even sure that was all, but then we started to go down hill so really it wasn’t too bad. I guess taking the first half a little easy paid off. I could see a lot of people slowing on the hill and again was passing a lot of people. I can see if someone started out too fast or was starting to feel fatigued how this would be a bad time for any kind of hill, but it wasn’t that bad. I ended up running that mile faster than planned too. Some of my miles were going slower and some faster so I figured I still on pace for a sub 3.

I then started to think about how it might even be possible to see the clock actually less than 3 hours before I finish. I was a little worried about pushing the pace too soon. I had been feeling pretty comfortable up to this point. I catch a guy in a red shirt after at about mile 22 and he is getting the crowd going. He speeds up as the crowds get loud and I stay with him. I decide if he is going to run like this I will try to stay with him until the end since I am feeling great.

After awhile he falls back but I keep up the faster pace. Then I see him again and he gets the crowd going and we are flying by people in mile 24. Since I met him at mile 22 I started running 6:30-something pace. I’ve never felt this good near the end of a marathon. It was downhill quite a bit but most were slowing. I see the 1 mile to go sign, but don’t remember the Citgo sign everyone else mentioned. Red shirt guy catches back up and motivates me again with the crowd. I see the finish line ahead and keep pushing. I leave red shirt guy behind and am racing with another guy. I hear my name and look and Melanie and Nicole are over on the left. I see the clock and cross when the clock is actually 2:59-something. My chip time is 2:57:47 which is a 4:11 PR. My first sub-3 and first negative split ever in a marathon. I talk to the red shirt guy and who is from California and mentions a friend of his just moved to Columbia.

I took my time going through the finish area thinking Darrin wouldn’t be far behind me. I see him before I get to the chip removing area. He had met his sub-3 goal as well finishing about 2 min behind me. We found our bus to pick up our drop bags. Across the street I spotted Melanie, Darrin’s wife while he is getting his bag. Then we see Tom May as well. He ended up running a 3:12. Phil called while we were all talking and reported he ran 3:10.

I head over to the finisher’s exit area about the time I expect Hugh. After waiting awhile I figured I may have missed him so went to the family reunion area. It was really getting crowded in that area but not too many people in the Es. After about 5 minutes I see him and he is jumping up and down so I figure he must not be hurt. He ran a 3:31 which was a PR for him as well and qualifies him for next year. He was very happy with his time.

We start walking and then ran into more of our group including Maria who ran a 4:01. We see Brett, El Presidente of the Long Run Lunatics. He had run a 3:15:59. His Boston qualifying time is 3:15:59. I was just amazed that he had cut it that close. He said he didn’t realize it was that close when he finished.

We all made our way back to the hotel and then decided to meet at 6 pm for dinner which gave us an hour to get ready. We went to Not Your Average Joe’s again since we liked it on Sat. and it had the room to seat us. We called 2 taxis and 5 people left in the first one so we had 5 left. The next driver said his insurance only covers 4 people and wouldn’t agree to take 5 so Hugh and I decide to go alone. I tell him I am feeling good enough that we could run/jog since it is only 1.7 miles. We make it there in 17 minutes and our table was seated about 5 min after we arrived. We split a large Pizza and had Caesar salads as well.

After dinner, we mentioned the Friendly’s ice cream place we had gone to on Sunday afternoon so Brett, Elly, and Phil walked with us back to the hotel and stopped there along the way. The manager waited on us and was an amusing experience. She was difficult to understand and the service was slow. The ice cream was good though. We all headed back to our hotel and many of us planned to meet at 8 am for a recovery run.

We woke up at 7:30 and I was walking okay. I decided not to take any Ibuprofen. We ran the 4 mile loop that Hugh and I ran on Friday. After the run, we packed our bags for the trip home. We had to catch a bus, take the subway to the commuter rail which would take us to Providence, where we were planning to take another bus to the airport.

This plan went smoothly until our commuter train was 25 minutes late. We were going to miss the earlier bus we planned to take so decided we better take a taxi from the train station to the airport. The bus ride would have cost only $1.50 each, but the next bus would have us there less than an hour before our flight which I wasn’t sure would be enough time. Conveniently, after we exited the train station a taxi that had airport on it was available. We were there in 15 min and had time to catch our flight. It was $30 well spent just to not worry about missing our plane. We made it through security quickly and had time to eat dinner. Then we flew to Baltimore to connect to our flight to St. Louis, and drive back to Columbia. I ended up typing almost all of this report at the airport and on the plane.

I really enjoyed the group marathon trip and didn’t miss home quite as much having our running friends around. I think next time though we will fly into Boston to avoid some of the headache of getting to Providence airport. I am glad we came early and went to the expo on Friday so would want to at least arrive on Friday or Saturday for the next Boston trip. Sunday the expo is just too busy and I would not enjoy it. We’ll likely go if a group from Columbia makes the trip next year.

Tuesday, April 22, 2008

Boston Preliminary Report

I'll post a complete report within a couple days.

Date: 4/21/2008 10:02 AM
Type: Race
Course: Boston Marathon
Distance: 26.2 miles
Duration: 2:57:47
Pace: 6:48 / mile
Shoe: Mizuno Wave Alchemy 7 (White/Orange #2)
Weight: 154 lb
Misc: Quality: 9/10, Effort: 9/10
Field Placement: 961
Age group: 18 – 39
Group Placement: 690
Gender Placement: 927
Weather: 51° F, Sunny
Notes: My GPS would not keep a signal at all for some reason today, but I managed just fine pacing myself without it. I went into this marathon very relaxed and made up my mind to not worry about it.

I felt like I really had something left at the end and wonder if I could have picked up the pace sooner. My pace band was for 2:58:30 and I really was trying for under 3 hrs. This is a PR by 4:11.

I really enjoyed this marathon. A great experience and will post a full report later.

M1 - 7:14
M2 - 6:40
M3 - 6:47
M4/5 - 13:32 (6:46 avg) - missed the 4 mile marker - took Accel Gel at 4 miles
M6 - 6:39
M7 - 6:40
M8 - 6:47 - Accel gel
M9 - 6:45
M10 - 6:55
M11 - 6:49
M12 - 6:46 - Accel gel
M13 - 6:50
M14 - 6:42
M15 - 6:51
M16 - 6:37
M17/18 - 14:00 (7:00 avg) - missed the mile 17 marker (Accel gel at 17 miles)
M19 - 6:47
M20 - 7:02
M21 - 7:06 (Heartbreak incline. This is really overrated in my opinion.)
M22 - 6:33 (I decided to pick up the pace a little at this point.)
M23 - 6:35 - Accel gel - forgot to take at 22 miles
M24 - 6:36
M25 - 6:39
M26 - 6:32
0.1 - 1:19 (6:35 pace)

Official Checkpoints:
5K - 0:21:21
10K - 0:42:21
15K - 1:03:19
20K - 1:24:37
Half - 1:29:10
25K - 1:45:38
30K - 2:07:00
35K - 2:28:24
40K - 2:48:53
Finish - 2:57:47
Finish Pace - 6:47
2nd Half - 1:28:37

Sunday, April 20, 2008

4-14 to 4-20

Tomorrow I will be running Boston and I really have no idea how it is going to go. No pains (which feel really strange), feeling pretty rested, and feel like I obeyed the Taper this week with only 26.3 miles. The plan was no more than 27 miles. Tomorrow I will try running an even effort (hills are taken into consideration) with the pace band I have ready to wear. Temps are supposed to be 53F at 10 am when I start and warm up to 62F by the time I finish. Hopefully, the wind will not be a factor as it has felt a little windy here the past couple days.

Date: 4/14/2008 6:05 PM
Type: Easy
Course: Dog Run
Distance: 4 miles
Duration: 31:31
Pace: 7:53 / mile
Shoe: Mizuno Wave Rider
Weight: 153 lb
Misc: Quality: 9/10, Effort: 4/10
Weather: 53° F, Sunny
Notes: Ran with Rusty and Hugh and Bruno. Bruno and Hugh led the way for 3 miles and we passed them on the last mile. I was holding Rusty back for the first 3 miles trying to not run too fast and then pulling him in the last mile. I let him run the last half mile off leash.

m1 - 7:48
m2 - 7:55
m3 - 7:58
m4 - 7:40

Date: 4/14/2008 8:20 PM
Type: Weight Training
Course: Weights, upper lean #2 (Back/Biceps/Abs), PT, & Wobble
Duration: 24:00
Weight: 153 lb
Misc: Quality: 9/10, Effort: 2/10
Notes: Very light weight workout. Once Boston is over, I am going back to the heavy workouts for awhile . I am really missing them.

Date: 4/15/2008 5:30 AM
Type: Hill
Course: Hugh's Hulen Hills - A Route
Distance: 7 miles
Duration: 53:12
Pace: 7:36 / mile
Shoe: Mizuno Wave Alchemy 7 (White/Orange)
Weight: 154 lb
Misc: Quality: 9/10, Effort: 7/10
Weather: 39° F, Sunny
Notes: We got to run Hugh's Hulen Hills since we didn't last Tuesday. Ran the entire course with Dan. Tony and Munashe passed us before Broadway. I didn't push the hills too much and didn't fly too fast on the downhills. This definitely qualified as a hill workout. I could have ran harder but didn't since I am obeying the Taper.

m1 - 9:03
m2 - 7:44
m3 - 7:51
m4 - 7:08
m5 - 6:57
m6 - 7:19
m7 - 6:43
m7.06 - 0:24

Date: 4/15/2008 6:20 PM
Type: Easy
Course: Rusty and Bruno's Bear Creek 5K
Distance: 3.1 miles
Duration: 25:00
Pace: 8:04 / mile
Shoe: Mizuno Wave Alchemy 7 (White/Orange)
Weight: 154 lb
Misc: Quality: 9/10, Effort: 2/10
Weather: 66° F, Partly Cloudy
Notes: We decided to take the dogs for a run before we sent them off to Puppy Prison 4 a week. Warm temps felt great! Dogs enjoyed the run and were worn out a little for the workers at MyZoo.

m1 - 7:57
m2 - 7:51
m3 - 8:13
0.1 - 0:59

Date: 4/17/2008 10:30 AM
Type: Easy
Course: Boston
Distance: 5 miles
Duration: 40:00
Pace: 8:00 / mile
Shoe: Mizuno Wave Alchemy 7 (White/Orange #2)
Weight: 154 lb
Misc: Quality: 9/10, Effort: 6/10
Weather: 57° F, Sunny
Notes: Ran with Hugh. I ran the first 2 miles easy, and the next 2 marathon pace, and 1 mile cooldown. Part of the paved pedestrian trail we ran on was REALLY uneven and with tree roots growing up through the pavement. We stayed on the bike trails on the way back which were in much better shape.

m1 - 9:32
m2 - 8:55
m3 - 6:43
m4 - 6:50
m5 - 7:58

Date: 4/18/2008 8:20 AM
Type: Easy
Course: Boston
Distance: 4.1 miles
Duration: 36:03
Pace: 8:48 / mile
Shoe: Mizuno Wave Alchemy 7 (White/Orange #2)
Weight: 154 lb
Misc: Quality: 10/10, Effort: 2/10
Weather: 61° F, Sunny
Notes: Ran an easy run with Hugh. The plan was 3 miles but the loop we did was 4 miles. Already was up to 61F this morning and supposed to get up to 76F. Looks like we are getting Wed. weather from Missouri. Temps marathon day are looking perfect with 46F up to a high of 59 and cloudy.

m1 - 8:52
m2 - 9:16
m3 - 8:41
m4 - 8:29
0.1 - 0:44

Date: 4/20/2008 6:10 AM
Type: Easy
Course: Boston
Distance: 3.1 miles
Duration: 29:25
Pace: 9:30 / mile
Shoe: Mizuno Wave Alchemy 7 (White/Orange #2)
Weight: 154 lb
Misc: Quality: 10/10, Effort: 2/10
Weather: 42° F, Sunny
Notes: Ran with Hugh, Tom, Darrin, Phil, and Raymond. The other group started a few minutes before and also ran 3 miles. Felt okay, but nothing great and am sure it was the slow speed.

m1 - 9:35
m2 - 9:27
m3 - 9:10
0.1 - 1:13

Running: 26.3 mi - 3:35:11

Weights: 24 min (1 workout)

MTD Running: 129.9 mi

YTD Running: 921.6 mi

April 21-Boston Marathon
May 17-Berryman 50 Mile Trail Ultramarathon
September 1-Heart of America Marathon
October 5-Twin Cities Marathon

Sunday, April 13, 2008

4/7/08 - 4/13/08

I planned 44 miles and ran 45.5 miles. It has felt like a typical taper week with the anxiety and sleeplessness. I'm looking forward to the race next Monday and seeing what I can do. Although I have a time goal, I really just want to have a good race and be able to run the next day. I have 27 miles for the coming week and plan to run a few at race pace.

Date: 4/7/2008 5:50 PM
Type: Easy
Course: Dog Run
Distance: 4 miles
Duration: 36:48
Pace: 9:12 / mile
Shoe: Mizuno Wave Rider
Weight: 152.2 lb
Misc: Quality: 9/10, Effort: 3/10
Weather: 57° F, Partly Cloudy
Notes: Easy run with Hugh, Rusty, and Bruno. Legs are feeling pretty good. Upper body is sore from yesterday's weight workout.

Date: 4/8/2008 5:30 AM
Type: Tempo
Course: Tripp 10K - A Route
Distance: 6.1 miles
Duration: 45:09
Pace: 7:25 / mile
Shoe: Mizuno Wave Alchemy 7 (White/Orange)
Weight: 152.2 lb
Misc: Quality: 6/10, Effort: 8/10
Weather: 44° F, Rain, Windy
Notes: We were planning to run Hugh's Hulen Hills today, but Joe decided since Hugh was gone we would run the Tripp 10K. I ran with Dan the entire way. It was raining and once we got off the trail and on Nifong, we were hit with a pretty stiff wind and rain for the over next 2.5 miles. When we turned onto Forum the wind we had a cross-wind that I thought was going to blow me over sideways. We had some lightning at this point too. Then finally got out of the wind and along with some downhill had a very fast last mile that seemed easier than the earlier miles with the wind.

I'm think maybe the Hugh's hills would have been easier today than being out in the open on Nifong.

m1 - 8:33
m2 - 7:12
m3 - 7:26
m4 - 7:19
m5 - 7:22
m6 - 6:29
m6.1 - 0:46

Date: 4/8/2008 5:04 PM
Type: Easy
Course: Random Route
Distance: 5.7 miles
Duration: 46:12
Pace: 8:07 / mile
Shoe: Mizuno Wave Alchemy 7 (White/Orange #2)
Weight: 152.2 lb
Misc: Quality: 8/10, Effort: 3/10
Weather: 50° F, Overcast, Windy
Notes: Ran the Jay Dix course with Dan and Sam. After running the course I think Dan will have a definite advantage over me now that we've run it once. It is kind of rolling with a nice hill right before the 3 mile point. Just as I am cresting the last hill with the last ounce of energy I have left, he'll come up behind me and surge to the finish on the downhill while I limp pathetically behind him across the finish line.

Once we ran the race course we went down the trail and then somewhere though a neighborhood off Stewart road and back to Flat Branch park. It was a good run with the sun almost coming out by the end.

After this run, I'm definitely thinking it's going to be a close one on Saturday. Hopefully, I can manage at least 3rd in my age group, but will be happy with 4th too. I really have no idea who is running, but the 10K tends to be more competitive. At this point, I'll just be happy if I can finish this 5K.

m1 - 8:20
m2 - 7:39
m3 - 8:03
m4 - 7:40
m5 - 8:32
.70 - 5:56 (8:29 pace)

Date: 4/10/2008 5:30 PM
Type: Tempo
Course: Rain Run - A Route
Distance: 8 miles
Duration: 56:30
Pace: 7:04 / mile
Shoe: Mizuno Wave Alchemy 7 (White/Orange)
Weight: 152.2 lb
Misc: Quality: 7/10, Effort: 7/10
Weather: 55° F, Overcast, Windy
Notes: Ran with Dan and Phil. Dan set a good pace today. This is the third fastest pace I've run for this course and conditions with the wind an wet trail were not ideal. Also, got too hot on this run.

m1 - 8:27
m2 - 7:21
m3 - 7:27
m4 - 6:51
m5 - 6:35
m6 - 6:37
m7 - 6:31
m8 - 6:36

Date: 4/10/2008 8:20 PM
Type: Weight Training
Course: Weights, upper lean #1 (chest, shoulders, triceps), PT, & Wobble
Duration: 25:00
Weight: 152.2 lb
Misc: Quality: 9/10, Effort: 6/10

Date: 4/12/2008 8:50 AM
Type: Easy
Course: Jay Dix 5K - Warm-up
Distance: 3.1 miles
Duration: 24:55
Pace: 8:03 / mile
Shoe: Mizuno Wave Alchemy 7 (White/Orange #2)
Weight: 153 lb
Misc: Quality: 7/10, Effort: 3/10
Weather: 36° F, Overcast, Windy
Notes: Warm up on the Jay Dix course with Dan, Hugh, John, and Aaron. It seemed a little fast based on the time, but felt very easy.

Date: 4/12/2008 9:00 AM
Type: Race
Course: Jay Dix 5K
Distance: 3.1 miles
Duration: 18:22
Pace: 5:56 / mile
Shoe: Mizuno Wave Alchemy 7 (White/Orange #2)
Weight: 153 lb
Misc: Quality: 7/10, Effort: 8/10
Field Placement: 3 / 245 (1.2%)
Age group: 35 – 39
Group Placement: 1 / 15 (6.7%)
Gender Placement: 3
Weather: 38° F
Race Report

Date: 4/12/2008 9:50 AM
Type: Easy
Course: Random Route
Distance: 6.5 miles
Duration: 54:10
Pace: 8:20 / mile
Shoe: Mizuno Wave Alchemy 7 (White/Orange #2)
Weight: 153 lb
Misc: Quality: 8/10, Effort: 3/10
Weather: 38° F, Windy
Notes: We ran 6 miles to cool down. Ran with Dan and Hugh. Hugh turned off at the Stadium trail and we went to College Park and then worked our way back.

Date: 4/13/2008 3:00 PM
Type: Trail
Course: Rock Bridge Miscellaneous
Distance: 9 miles
Duration: 1:17:20
Pace: 8:36 / mile
Shoe: Mizuno Wave Ascend 3 (Red)
Weight: 153 lb
Misc: Quality: 8/10, Effort: 5/10
Weather: 42° F, Overcast
Notes: Ran this with Dan S. and Dan. H. Dan H. did the 5 mile loop and Dan S. and I ran 9 miles. This pace was easy run and legs felt fresh.

m1 - 8:23
m2 - 9:11
m3 - 9:01
m4 - 8:25
m5 - 8:43
m6 - 8:37
m7 - 8:10
m8 - 8:19
m9 - 8:25

Running: 44.5 mi - 5:59:26

Weights: 25 min (1 workout)

MTD Running: 103.6 mi

YTD Running: 895.3 mi

April 21-Boston Marathon
May 17-Berryman 50 Mile Trail Ultramarathon
September 1-Heart of America Marathon
October 5-Twin Cities Marathon

Saturday, April 12, 2008

Jay Dix Challenge to Cure 5K

We arrived about 7:30 am to pick up our chip and then I ran the course with Hugh, Dan, John, and Aaron as a warm up. We had a pretty fast warm-up at about 8 min pace.

I was happy to see the race started on time this year. This was especially nice since it was a little cold and quite windy. I was shaking at the start and am not sure if from the cold or just ready to run. Dan and I lined up right at the front since that is where they said if you were running 6 mi mile or faster to line up. Hugh was not far behind me.

I felt good and really had to keep watching my pace the first mile to slow down. I was surprised how fast I was starting on a hill on a slippery brick street. At first decided I should stay with Nicole Mello running the 5K and Tony Rigdon running the 10K. Then I passed Nicole and Rodney Atkinson running the 10K caught up to us. I let Tony and him go ahead and tried to maintain about a 5:45 pace. First mile split was 5:50.

At the turn around I see Dan not far behind. I don't remember seeing Jeff so he was probably right behind me. Second mile was right after under the tunnel and split was 6:17. I had to slow down turning onto Maryland since there were a lot of runners headed at me and I had to get through them to get back onto the sidewalk. I was starting to feel just a little winded before Turner Ave and was looking forward to the downhill to recover. Legs still felt strong.

Caught my breath on the down hill and then had some more up hill before 3 miles. Gavin passed me before 3 miles and I wasn't sure which race he was running but turned out to be the 5K. After going up a hill, the last 0.1 mi is downhill and turned a corner right before heading to the finish chute. There was no clock and I stopped my watch.

Jeff passed me after I crossed the finish and he moved back behind to stay in order. Dan was right after him and said he had 18:24. My time was 18:22 and Jeff was 18:23. That is the closest 5K I've ever raced and a PR for both me and Dan. A BIG PR for Dan and a 16 second PR for me.

My overall splits were:

M1 - 5:50
M2 - 6:17
M3 - 5:46
M3.1 - 0:29

Total: 18:22 (16 second PR)

After the race, I ran 6.5 miles more with Dan at 8:20 pace. Hugh ran part of the cool down and cut short. Then we had our post race meal and the awards ceremony.

Hugh finished 21:32 and first in his age group and got a medal. He ran this one faster than the St. Pats. I finished 3rd overall of 245 runners, and 1st in age group of 35-39 out of 15 runners. Dan was second in my age group and got the first place medal since I got a plaque for 3rd overall. Gavin beat me by 6 seconds and the first place overall guy was 16-something.

I felt good after the race and felt like I still had something left. If this course had not so many turns and running on the side walk, I think we all would have run a little faster so a good time for me considering I didn't think this would be a fast course. I think the main thing to run this one fast today was having Jeff and Dan not far behind to push me.

Dan, Andy, and Hugh running the course again after their race.

This is my first ever overall plaque. I was actually 3rd overall in this race last year but they didn't give overall plaques. Lucky to get this one as close as Dan and Jeff were behind me.

More pictures

Overall Results

Results by Division

Sunday, April 06, 2008

3/31/08 - 4/6/08

This week I cut the mileage back to 62 after 90 miles last week. Although this week wasn't officially a taper week, it felt like it. I've been tired but still had some good runs. My plan is to cut back to 44 miles for the coming week and then 27 miles the week before Boston.

Date: 3/31/2008 5:50 PM
Type: Easy
Course: Dog Run
Distance: 4 miles
Duration: 34:15
Pace: 8:34 / mile
Shoe: Mizuno Wave Rider
Weight: 153 lb
Misc: Quality: 9/10, Effort: 3/10
Weather: 59° F, Overcast, Humid
Notes: Ran with Rusty and Bruno. Hugh decided to take a rest day. It didn't rain on us but the dogs got wet and gritty from the roads.

Date: 3/31/2008 8:10 PM
Type: Weight Training
Course: Weights, upper lean #1 (chest, shoulders, triceps), PT, & Wobble
Duration: 45:00
Weight: 153 lb
Misc: Quality: 10/10, Effort: 8/10

Date: 4/1/2008 5:30 AM
Type: Easy
Course: Diva - A Route
Distance: 8 miles
Duration: 1:00:45
Pace: 7:36 / mile
Shoe: Mizuno Wave Alchemy 7 (White/Orange)
Weight: 153 lb
Misc: Quality: 8/10, Effort: 6/10
Weather: 41° F, Windy
Notes: Ran with Dan, and part of the run with Aaron and Tony. First time I have run this course correctly. Pace felt comfortable so more like a recovery run for me.

M1 - 9:14
M2 - 8:05
M3 - 7:23
M4 - 7:23
M5 - 7:30
M6 - 7:05
M7 - 7:30
M8 - 6:36

Date: 4/3/2008 5:30 AM
Type: Tempo
Course: Rain Run - A Route
Distance: 8.1 miles
Duration: 58:21
Pace: 7:13 / mile
Shoe: Mizuno Wave Alchemy 7 (White/Orange)
Weight: 153 lb
Misc: Quality: 8/10, Effort: 7/10
Weather: 45° F, Rain
Notes: Ran with Dan this morning in the rain. There were a group of guys walking in shorts and no shirts that we passed on College that wished us luck. I'm assuming it was a fraternity thing. Phil caught up to us on College and we all ran the rest of the way together. My GPS wasn't working until the last 3 miles so I wasn't sure the pace.

This run didn't feel that hard considering the pace and the hill up Stadium felt easier than usual. Everything felt good for this run. If it had been a little warmer and no rain, would have been perfect.

Splits from Dan:
m1 - 8:25
m2 - 7:32
m3 - 7:27
m4 - 7:08
m5 - 7:02
m6 - 6:48
m7 - 6:41
m8 - 6:33
.1 - 0:42 (6:49 pace) - this was our cool down

I really like these runs where we pick up the pace each mile.

Date: 4/3/2008 5:20 PM
Type: Tempo
Course: Clay's Fork
Distance: 6 miles
Duration: 43:14
Pace: 7:13 / mile
Shoe: Mizuno Wave Alchemy 7 (White/Orange)
Weight: 153 lb
Misc: Quality: 8/10, Effort: 8/10
Weather: 51° F, Rain
Notes: Too wet out for dogs so I ran alone in the rain. I meant for this to be an easy run, but somehow turned into tempo as I ran off the frustrations of the day.

m1 - 7:43
m2 - 7:15
m3 - 7:33 (big hill)
m4 - 6:50 (down hill)
m5 - 6:36
m6 - 7:15 (long slight up hill)

Date: 4/4/2008 6:00 PM
Type: Easy
Course: Dog Run
Distance: 4 miles
Duration: 32:45
Pace: 8:12 / mile
Shoe: Mizuno Wave Alchemy 7 (White/Orange)
Weight: 153 lb
Misc: Quality: 9/10, Effort: 3/10
Weather: 54° F, Sunny
Notes: Ran with Rusty, Bruno, and Hugh. We tried something different and Hugh took Bruno instead of Rusty. We ended up running a bit faster than normal. Bruno and Hugh were speedy tonight.

m1 - 7:57
m2 - 7:55
m3 - 8:23
m4 - 8:30

Date: 4/5/2008 6:05 AM
Type: Long
Course: Scott Blvd to Lemone
Distance: 20 miles
Duration: 2:37:41
Pace: 7:54 / mile
Shoe: Mizuno Wave Alchemy 7 (White/Orange)
Weight: 153 lb
Misc: Quality: 9/10, Effort: 7/10
Weather: 33° F, Sunny
Notes: Started with the Long Run Lunatics running with Dan and John. Dan and I veered off on our own rather than taking the trail. This is a good training pace considering there were several significant hills on this course. We were going up the first few miles at the beginning so a little slower warmup. The big hill at mile 8 didn't change the pace too much.

Overall felt good but looking forward to some taper so I can hopefully run about 1 minute faster per mile at Boston.

We ended our run at the Cigs race (we watched) where Hugh set a new 4 mile PR at 28:43, 56 sec faster than his previous PR and 1st in his age group.

1) 9:14 (659 ft). . . . . . 8) 8:02 (739 ft) . . . . . 15) 7:50 (675 ft)
2) 8:16 (710 ft). . . . . . 9) 7:38 (754 ft). . . . . 16) 7:58 (749 ft)
3) 8:02 (727 ft). . . . . 10) 7:44 (674 ft). . . . . 17) 7:37 (720 ft)
4) 7:51 (722 ft). . . . . 11) 8:07 (632 ft). . . . . 18) 7:39 (757 ft)
5) 7:55 (724 ft). . . . . 12) 7:51 (720 ft). . . . . 19) 7:44 (776 ft)
6) 7:30 (742 ft). . . . . 13) 7:33 (670 ft). . . . . 20) 7:40 (745 ft)
7) 7:47 (580 ft). . . . . 14) 7:40 (742 ft)

Date: 4/6/2008 2:00 PM
Type: Trail
Course: Rock Bridge Miscellaneous
Distance: 12 miles
Duration: 1:41:48
Pace: 8:29 / mile
Shoe: Mizuno Wave Ascend 2 (Yellow)
Weight: 152.2 lb
Misc: Quality: 8/10, Effort: 7/10
Weather: 69° F, Sunny
Notes: Ran RB with Dan. Ran the Gans Creek for first 4.15 miles at a record 8:48 pace. We stopped and got some water and then moved on. We then ran the Deer Run side, but made a minor change to the route so we would end with 12 miles. It ended perfect where we hit the 12 mile mark about 10 feet from out cars.

The weather was near perfect but a little warm to run 8 more without water. Run felt good especially the first 4 even though I probably ran it a little too hard. Dan led the way for the last 8 on the Deer Run side at 8:20 pace and felt good for going that fast.

m1...9:30 m7...8:37
m2...8:44 m8...8:18
m3...8:45 m9...7:59
m4...7:56 m10..8:48
m5...8:27 m11..8:04
m6...8:40 m12..7:56

Date: 4/6/2008 4:55 PM
Type: Weight Training
Course: Weights, upper lean #2 (Back/Biceps/Abs), PT, & Wobble
Duration: 30:00
Weight: 152.2 lb

Running: 62.1 mi - 8:08:49

Weights: 1 hr 15 min (2 workouts)

MTD Running: 58.1 mi

YTD Running: 849.8 mi

April 12-Jay Dix Challenge to Cure 5K
April 21-Boston Marathon
May 17-Berryman 50 Mile Trail Ultramarathon
September 1-Heart of America Marathon
October 5-Twin Cities Marathon